Pendant jewelry



R- E- TOMCHIN PENDANT JEWELRY Dec. 10, 1968 Filed Aug. 16, 1966INVENTOR.

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mrfifiw ATTORNEYS RONALD E. TOMCHIN United States Patent 3,415,079PENDANT JEWELRY Ronald E. Tomchin, Valley Stream, N.Y., assignor toPhilips Mfg. Co., Brooklyn, N.Y., a partnership of New York Filed Aug.16, 1966, Ser. No. 572,812 3 Claims. (Cl. 63-23) The present inventionrelates generally to improvements in jewelry, and more particularly toimprovements in articles of pendant jewelry including religious crosses,lockets and the like.

In the manufacture of pendant articles of jewelry it is necessary toprovide asimple and convenient means for suspending the article from achain or other neck-encircling support. The usual practice is toconstruct the article out of a stamped shell and top, with the shellimparting the body to the article and the top providing the requisiteornamentation as by hand engraving, etching, embossing, or the like. Theshell and top are usually soldered together and, after trimming, a bailis secured to the article by a \ring. conventionally, the ring issoldered to the completed article, usually at the upper end thereof, andthe bail, which initially is an open-ended ring of formed metal, isengaged through the ring, closed and soldered. The completed articlethus includes the article proper (i.e. the cross, locket, etc.) with thering and hail exposed thereabove. The exposed ring and bail detract fromthe appearance of the article although they are functionally requiredfor suspending the article. Also, it is not infrequent for the suspendedarticle to twist or flip over in a conventional construction as justdescribed.

It is desirable to be able to suspend an article of jewelry, such as across, in a manner such that the suspending means are essentially hiddenfrom view, to thereby avoid detracting the eye of the observer from thecentral motif of the article of jewelry. The design integrity andproportions and the aesthetics of the suspended cross are also somewhatlost by the relatively unsightly exposed bail and and mounting ring.Also, in some instances the proportions of the article, i.e. a cross,are elongated due to the presence of the mounting ring and bail abovethe upright or long arm of the cross, with a corresponding adverseelfect on the appearance of the article.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provideimprovements in pendant jewelry overcoming the foregoing and othershortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to providean article of pendant jewelry wherein the need for securing a bail abovethe article by a mounting ring is avoided, yet provision is made forachieving the functional requirements of a bail without detracting fromthe appearance of the article. A still further object is to provide animproved article of pendant jewelry wherein a bail is formed by afinding which is secured to the backside of the article in a positionwhere it is comparatively hidden from View, yet achieves the functionalrequirement of providing a suspending means for the article.

An article of pendant jewelry demonstrating objects and features of thepresent invention includes a body having a shell and a top, the shell inturn including a rear wall having at least one aperture formed therein.There is provided a finding which, according to one preferred embodimenthereof, has opposite free ends and is shaped to cooperate with the rearwall of the body shell so as to form a bail for the article. The findingadditionally includes an alignment projection at one end which isreceived and secured in place within the aperture while the other endthereon is appropriately secured directly to the rear wall. Thus, thefinding elfectively serves a bail 3,415,079 Patented Dec. 10, 1968through which the usual chain is threaded so that the article may beworn in a suspended position from about the neck of the wearer, andwherein further the position of the finding is such that its presence iseffectively masked by the article itself thereby contributing to animproved appearance to the article.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated byreference to the following detailed description of a presentlypreferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance withthe present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an article of of pendant jewelry;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the article illustrating theimproved bail thereof according to the present inventions;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the component parts of thearticle and illustrates detailed structural features of the bail; and

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of thearticle in which the top of the body thereof is partially broke away tobetter illustrate the manner in which the bail is secured to the body.

Reference is now made to the drawings wherein there is shown a typicalarticle of pendant jewelry 10 exemplified by the religious crossillustrated herein. As is generally understood, an article of pendantjewelry such as the article 10 is adapted to be worn suspended from achain 12 which in turn is worn about the neck of the wearer. As isfurther understood, the article 10 includes appropriate structureserving as a bail, herein generally designated 14, through which thechain 12 is threaded so that the article 10 can be worn suspended fromthe wearers neck. An essential feature of the present invention is thelocation of the bail 14 in a substantially masked position rearwardly ofthe article 10 so as not to detract from the appearance thereof. This isin contrast to and a vast improvement over the conventional use of aring soldered to the upper wall 10a of the article 10 to which aconventional type bail is attached in linking the supporting chain tothe article.

Turning now more particularly to the structural details of a typicalarticle of pendant jewelry 10, the same as best shown in FIG. 3,typically include a die-stamped shell 16a and a die-stamped top 16b of acorresponding shape and size to mate with the shell 16a to form the body16 of the article 10. At an early stage in manufacture, both the shell16a and top 16b have excess metal about the periphery (shown in phantomperspective in FIG. 3) which is trimmed after these parts areappropriately joined to each other by soldering: or the like. Thus, theresulting body 16 is a hollow element formed by soldering the top 1612within the front opening 16d of the shell 16a, and wherein the visiblesurface of the top 161), as is shown in FIG. 4, includes decorativemarkings 19 produced by hand engraving, etching or a similar process toprovide a decorative appearance to the article 10.

Additionally contributing to a favorable and pleasing appearance to thearticle 10 is the provision of the bail 14 in accordance with thepresent invention. More particularly, as best shown in FIGS. 3, 4,during the diestamping of the shell 16a there is provided a positioningaperture 18 adjacent the upper end of the shell rear wall 16:2. The bail14, which in a preferred embodiment as illustrated herein, is preferablya finding having an appropriately shaped body 14a and terminating inopposite free ends 14b and 140. On the upper free end 14b there isfurther provided a positioning projection 14d of an appropriate size andextent which permits projecting the same through the positioningaperture 18. Thus, after completion of the assembly of the body 16, theproper position of the shaped finding 14a on the rear wall 16a isassured by interfitting of the cooperating projection 14d and aperture18. Once this proper position is achieved, permanent securement of thebail 14 to the article 10 is next achieved by soldering the oppositeends of the shaped body 14a to the rear wall 16e, as at the locations 20as shown in FIG. 2.

In the illustrated embodiment of the bail 14, the open side of theshaped body 14a thereof is functionally replaced by the section of therear wall 162 extending between the opposite ends 14b and 14c in orderto form a complete enclosure which is necessary for a bail structure.Alternatively, however, the finding 14a can be formed without an openside and as a complete enclosing structure in and of itself. In anyevent, all embodiments of an appropriate finding 14a include a locatingprojection, such as is exemplified by the projection 140', whichcooperates with the location aperture 18, and which is mountedrearwardly of the article 10 in the manner as described herein.Additionally, to take full advantage of the improved appearance which isprovided the article 10 by the improved bail structure, all embodimentsof the finding 14a will be understood to be of a width which is slightlyless than the width of the rear wall 16e of the shell 16a so that themounted position of this element is completely masked by the body 16, asclearly shown in FIG. 1.

A latitude of modification change and substitution is intended in theforegoing disclosure and in some instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims beconstrued broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scopeof the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. As an article of manufacture, an article of pendant jewelry includinga body having a shell and top, said shell including a rear wall havingat least one aperture formed therein and a finding having opposite freeends shaped to cooperate with said rear wall to ofrm a bail, saidfinding including an alignment projection at one end thereof receivedwithin said aperture and means securing said projection within saidaperture and securing the other end of said finding to said rear wall.

2. An article of pendant jewelry as defined in claim 1 wherein said bodyof said article is of a width of a predetermined extent and said shapedbody of said finding is of a corresponding width such that the presenceof such finding in said supported position on the body rear Wall ismasked by said body.

3. An article of pendant jewelry as defined in claim 2 wherein saidaperture is located adjacent the upper end of the rear wall of said bodyand said projection on the shaped body of said finding is securedtherein and said other end of said shaped body of the finding is secureddirectly to said rear wall below said aperture.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1904 McLean 63-23 9/1953Randall 41-10

1. AS AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, AN ARTICLE OF PENDANT JEWELRY INCLUDINGA BODY HAVING A SHELL AND TOP, SAID SHELL INCLUDING A REAR WALL HAVINGAT LEAST ONE APERTURE FORMED THEREIN AND A FINDING HAVING OPPOSITE FREEENDS SHAPED TO COOPERATE WITH SAID REAR WALL TO FORM A BAIL, SAIDFINDING INCLUDING AN ALIGNMENT PROJECT AT ONE END THEREOF RECEIVEDWITHIN SAID APERTURE AND MEANS SECURING SAID PROJECTION WITHIN SAIDAPERTURE AND SECURING THE OTHER END OF SAID FINDING TO SAID REAR WALL.